Kentucky Downs Q&A: Director Of Wagering Development Ken Kirchner On Betting Menus, CAWs, and Contests originally appeared on Paulick Report.
Kentucky Downs is one of North America’s most unique tracks, both in layout and schedule. In the Kentucky Downs Q&A video series, we’ll speak with on-track and off-track participants in the boutique meet to help viewers better understand the one-of-a-kind venue.
Kentucky Downs is known as one of the most horseplayer-friendly racetracks in North America, with large fields and an appealing wagering menu. Ken Kirchner is responsible for setting much of that up.
Kirchner is the Director of Wagering Development at Kentucky Downs, a position he has held since 2021. Among his responsibilities, he manages the simulcast and wagering operations, sets the betting menu, and works with the production team that sends out the track’s simulcast signal.
Under his watch, Kentucky Downs has seen four consecutive years of record handle.
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In the past, Kirchner is perhaps best known for his role in the growth of handicapping contests, creating the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge in 2009 as part of his work directing the Breeders’ Cup’s simulcast and wagering operations. Prior to that, he was integral in the formation of the NTRA’s National Handicapping Championship, the country’s largest handicapping contest.
On this episode of Kentucky Downs Q&A, Kirchner discusses what’s on tap for horseplayers during the upcoming meet, as well as the track’s relationship with computer assisted wagering, and the evolution of handicapping contests at Kentucky Downs and beyond.
Kentucky Downs will host seven live dates during its 2025 meet: Aug. 28, 30, and 31, and Sept. 4, 6, 7, and 10.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 14, 2025, where it first appeared.